Engineers Body Calls For Lisbon Yes Vote

Our Direc tor General John Power said   “We are making this exceptional request as we consider the Lisbon issue to be of such fundamental importance to the future of the country and its engineering industry”.

In a letter to the membership, Mr. Power said the Council of Engineers Ireland had made this decision “ unanimously” because the organisation “fervently believes that it is in the best interests of engineers, the engineering profession and Ireland that there is a strong positive vote in favour of the Lisbon Treaty on October 2.   We therefore sincerely encourage you to cast a Yes vote.”

He said the outcome of the referendum will have a direct impact on business certainty.   “Ireland would not have seen the dramatic expansion of our economy without our participation in the EU.  Since we joined the EU we have contributed €21.2 billion and we have received € 62 billion, some of which has been invested in infrastructure,” Mr Power told engineers.   ”As you know, the export sector is critical to Ireland.  Ireland exports 80 per cent of everything it produces and 70 per cent of Irish exports go to Europe.  The export sector is inextricably linked to the engineering industry.  The EU is the world’s largest market. A ‘no’ vote on Lisbon would significantly undermine future growth possibilities for Ireland’s engineering sector. ”FDI companies employ 150,000 people directly and 150,000 indirectly.  Ireland hosts fifteen of the world’s top twenty five medical device companies and nine of the world’s top ten pharmaceutical companies.  These organisations are huge employers of engineers and engineering expertise.  With so many people on the live register, we must focus on maintaining an environment that meets their needs rather than creating uncertainty.